Sugar Has Cushings

[molly muffin]

I might want to recheck her sooner than 6 months, but I probably would leave her at this as long as her symptoms are controlled.

Happy Mothers day

[My Baby Sugar]

Thank you Sharlene. I think at this time that's about all that can be done for Sugar. It`s sad to see her struggle to walk and she seems to be really tired. I give her lots of supplements but I guess they can only do so much. She does not like her hindquarter harness at all and refuses to walk. I`m looking to find a stroller for her. Hopefully to get her out more. Cushings or old age or both ? .Sigh, so sad. Debbie

[Sadielove]

Welcome to the forum. I hate that it is under these circumstances. We are all cherish our Cush pups and want the best for them. I worry daily since I am new here as well. My baby has been on trilostane for 30+ days. You are an excellent mom taking care of her daily. Hugs to sugar and you.

[My Baby Sugar]

Sadielove ,I always appreciate someone telling me I did a good job. Its nice to be reassured. Sometimes I`m not for sure. Best luck to you on your baby. Now, I wonder since Sugar has been on trilostane for over 5 years and her back hindquarter and hindlegs continue to weaken along with hairloss, with tiredness and more frequent confusion, would it be best to take her tired and frail little body off of the drug. Perhaps in time after 5 years ,I wonder if the drug can its self become toxic. Just thinking. If I take her off , maybe she would not be as tired and also she would not have to do any more ACTH test. She just does not want to be bothered anymore. . Or by taking her off, would that make things worse. Can predisone. help ? Sometimes I can not decide what is best for Sugar. My sweet, sweet baby. Debbie

[Whiskey's Mom]

Debbie, Sugar is so very lucky to have a loving Mom like you. We agonize over making the right decisions for our sweet babies. . Everything we do for them is out of pure love. I honestly don't know what I would do in your situation, but I don't think any choice you make would be wrong. Hugs from us.
Annie and Whiskey

[My Baby Sugar]

Hi Annie ,thanks for your understanding. Love to you and Whiskey. At this time I am lucky that I can bring Sugar to work with me 2 days a week. A super understanding boss. Two days I leave her at my vet and on Mondays, my husband is home. I am so afraid to leave her alone. Its sad but when Sugar was young ,people would stop me and say how adorable she is. Now, I get a lots of looks that say, poor little thing, maybe she should be put down. I know Sugar is not real happy any more but now and than I see a spark in her. Debbie.

[My sweet Ginger]

Hi, at first I thought Sugar's cortisol level might've gone too low since her last ACTH was one year ago but this latest results show that's not the case. My baby was almost 14 when she was diagnosed with Cushings and soon after with dementia. She lived to be 16 yrs and a few months. Towards the end she lost almost a half of her body weight, went deaf, sparks in her eyes long gone, got incredibly frail and completely detached from everyone and everything. She was on 5-6 different kinds of meds but she kept getting up and would walk around, aimlessly for hours many times a day. Family members would make comments like 'I would put her to sleep. She has no quality of life.' I'd ignore those comments until one day the thought ' Am I really doing right by her? ' pops in my head. Then I'd ask our specialist and he'd say 'I think she's doing pretty good considering everything she's got going on.' Backed with his assurance I'd then be able to ignore those comments again and stayed the course. What others were saying didn't really matter so much to me but there were a couple of times I wasn't sure whether I was just being selfish by keeping her with me. So his professional opinion mattered.

You mentioned Sugar being confused. I wonder if she is developing a dementia as did my Ginger. If you don't mind adding one more pill and with your vet's approval you might want to try 'Novifit' if she has CCD.
We never found out what made Ginger to lose so much weight especially in the last few months despite she was eating pretty good on her own. Also by then we didn't really go by the rules or recommendations that much. She ate and did whatever she wanted and stayed away from frequent testings as much as possible while staying on necessary medications religiously and periodic BP and overall check ups.

As sad and hard as it was watching my baby declining right in front of my eyes, to this date I'm glad she stayed with us as long as she did and that I was there for her but in the end it is what you feel is right for your baby.
Give her extra hugs and kisses and her favorite treats and just enjoy every day you have with her while making precious memories together. Hugs. Song.

[My Baby Sugar]

Dear Song, thank you so much for sharing that part of Ginger`s life with me..I realize it was painful for you. It touched my heart and the tears just flowed. Through the tears I could see the other side. A sweet little baby that fought hard and along side of her a loving and devoted mom. You have gave me the strength to do what I think is best for Sugar no matter what others say or the looks that say it all. Sugar is often confused or dazed so I will ask the vet about Novifit. Hopefully that might help. Its worth a try. Sugar has also has lost a lot of weight .They think it is from the Cushings that is causing muscle loss. I try to get her to walk more, but she will not. She still likes to eat. I will cherish the time we have left, extra kisses and lots of treats. Whether a day or are several months. . Love, Debbie

[Joan2517]

Song is right, enjoy every moment with her. Sugar knows she is loved and you know best what her quality of life is...

[My Baby Sugar]

Thank you Joan for your kind support. It means a lot to me. I read that a lot of cushing babies have hindleg weakness. The longer a dog has cushings, the worse it gets. Is that correct ? This is what my vet has made me believe. I still wonder about that. She`s had xrays and they showed some arthritis. Debbie